Town Hall House
456 Kent Street
Sydney NSW 2000
City of Sydney Floor Space and Employment Survey
Redfern Street Village
Introduction
The City of Sydney undertakes its comprehensive Floor Space and Employment Survey (FES) every five years to coincide with the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Census of Population and Housing. The latest FES is the second to encompass those areas amalgamated into the City of Sydney from the former South Sydney and Leichhardt Councils in 2004, and allows the City of Sydney to investigate and report on changes in workforce, businesses and floor space across Surveys.
The FES collects data on all businesses, floor space uses and employment numbers for every building or property within the City of Sydney local government area (LGA). It provides a snapshot of the built form, land uses and economic activity of the City of Sydney every five years. The field data captured for the current Survey was undertaken during 2012.
The data collection phase of the FES involves field surveyors visiting every business in the City of Sydney to determine what industry the business is in, how many workers are in each business, and the floor space use of each business through visual inspection and the use of existing floor space. Information for various capacity measures such as quantity of seating, parking, rooms and units are also collected. Residential uses are only surveyed from the street and validated by checking existing floor plans. The data is entered into a Geographic Information System (GIS) database to allow 2- and 3-dimensional mapping, analysis and reporting.
The data is used by both internal and external stakeholders as a basis for strategic planning, policy formulation, business development and forecasting.
The Redfern Street Village covers the area from Broadway in the north to Waterloo in the south and from Chalmers Street in the east to Darlington and Eveleigh in the west (see Figure 1).
The Redfern Street Village includes the suburbs of Chippendale, Darlington, Eveleigh, the western half of Redfern and the northern portions of Waterloo and Alexandria.
The 2012 FES collected data from 4,219 sites in the Village, including 1,081 business premises. The total internal floor space surveyed was 2,555,724m², an increase of 1.5% from the previous Survey. A further 1,412,980m² of external area (including parks, backyards, balconies, pools etc.) was also collected in the data.
Figure 2 (following) shows the extent of the Redfern Street Village, looking southwest. Residential uses are shown in dark red, and are scattered evenly throughout the Village. Residential development is characterised by medium density terrace housing in Darlington, Alexandria, Redfern and eastern Waterloo, with higher density housing in north-western Waterloo and Chippendale. Business uses are shown in light brown and are again quite evenly scattered throughout the Village. Business uses tend to dominate in the west with the Darlington Campus of Sydney University, and the centre with Australian Technology Park, with light industrial uses to the south.
Figure 2. The Redfern Street Village looking south-west.
In 2006, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Estimated Resident Population (ERP) stated that there were 19,459 residents living in Redfern Street Village. By 2011, the ERP for Redfern Street Village had risen to 21,176, an increase of 8.8% over five years. The proportion of the City of Sydney’s residents in Redfern Street Village fell from 11.7% in 2006 to 11.5% in 2011. As of 2011, the Redfern Street Village remains the second most populous of the City of Sydney’s ten villages. It is estimated that Redfern Street Village will accommodate approximately 25,594 residents or 12.1% of the City of Sydney’s residents by 2016, and 33,362 residents or 12.4% of the City of Sydney’s population by 2031.[1]
The Redfern Street Village resident population was housed in 11,616 dwellings at the time of the Survey. The dwelling stock of the Village is dominated by multi-storey apartment blocks (with 61.6% of dwellings) and terrace houses (29.1%). There was a 4.3% increase in the number of dwellings between the two Surveys. Over the next few years, residential development will increase dramatically compared to the last survey. The Frasers site in Broadway is expected to provide 1,500 new residential and student dwellings in the next couple of years.[2]
Employment in the Redfern Street Village increased by 35% between the Surveys, from 12,801 in 2007 to 17,276 in 2012. The proportion of full-time employment increased from 74.4% in 2007 to 77.5% in 2012. There were an additional 136 businesses counted in 2012 compared to 2007, an increase of 14.4%. Over the same period, the average number of workers per business increased from 13.54 to 15.98.
The number of parking spaces in the Village increased by 1,359 overall between 2007 and 2012.
When looking at Visitor Accommodation in the Village, there have been significant percentage increases in the number of hotel rooms and backpacker beds between the Surveys. There was a 33.8% increase in the number of hotel rooms (253 additional rooms), and a 22.5% increase in the number of backpacker beds (41 additional beds).
The key totals for the 2007 and 2012 Surveys are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Key Totals for Redfern Street Village, 2007-2012Category / 2007 / 2012 / Change / % Change
General
Sites Surveyed / 4,195 / 4,219 / 24 / 0.6%
Buildings Surveyed / 4,078 / 4,106 / 28 / 0.7%
Businesses Surveyed / 945 / 1,081 / 136 / 14.4%
Areas
Internal Floor Area (m²) / 2,518,108 / 2,555,724 / 37,616 / 1.5%
External Area (m²) / 1,327,129 / 1,412,980 / 85,851 / 6.5%
Total Surveyed Area (m²) / 3,845,237 / 3,968,704 / 123,467 / 3.2%
Employment
Full-time Employment / 9,532 / 13,395 / 3,863 / 40.5%
Part-time Employment / 3,269 / 3,881 / 612 / 18.7%
Total Employment / 12,801 / 17,276 / 4,475 / 35.0%
Residential
Number of Dwellings / 11,132 / 11,616 / 484 / 4.3%
Buildings with Dwellings / 3,491 / 3,524 / 33 / 0.9%
Population / 19,459 / 21,160 / 1,701 / 8.7%
Occupancy Rate / 1.75 / 1.82 / - / -
Tenant Parking
Internal Parking Spaces / 5,404 / 6,315 / 911 / 16.9%
External Parking Spaces / 3,392 / 3,840 / 448 / 13.2%
Total Parking Spaces / 8,796 / 10,155 / 1,359 / 15.5%
Visitor Accommodation
Hotel Accommodation (Rooms) / 749 / 1,002 / 253 / 33.8%
Serviced Apartments (Units) / 89 / 88 / -1 / -1.1%
Backpacker Accommodation (Beds) / 182 / 223 / 41 / 22.5%
Industry Classification
The FES codes each business establishment based on a modified Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) – 2006. ANZSIC classifies the primary activity of a business into 16 ‘Divisions’ and then into 506 4-digit ‘Industries’. The Survey has further subdivided these into 644 unique business uses. This allows for more detailed analysis of business, employment and floor space uses.
The 644 business uses have been re-categorised into a ‘City-Based Industry Sector’ Classification based on the method used by the City of Greater London. This classification better reflects the mix of uses within the business community of city centres such as the City of Sydney. There are nineteen ‘business’ related industry divisions, and a further five ‘non-business’ related industry divisions within the City-Based Industry Sector Classification. This allows the analysis of industry groups such as Creative Industries, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Tourist, Cultural and Leisure.
Table 2 following shows the breakdown by City Based Industry of employment, businesses and (business) floor space for the Redfern Street Village in 2012. During the Survey, data was collected on 1,081 businesses; there were 17,276 workers counted; and businesses occupied 866,315m² of internal floor space.
The largest industry employer in the Redfern Street Village is the Higher Education and Research industry sector, which also has the highest share of business floor area. The Creative Industries is also a predominant industry sector and has the greatest number of businesses and the second largest workforce.
Three industry sectors employ more than 2,000 workers (Creative Industries, Higher Education and Research and Professional and Business Services) a further three industries employ over 1,000 workers within the Redfern Street Village (Government, ICT and Transport and Logistics). The Village has a diversified industry mix interspersed with the second highest residential population in the City of Sydney LGA. Tables 3, 5 and 6 (following) show the changes in the number of businesses, employment and business floor space use by each of the City-Based Industry Sectors between 2007 and 2012.
Business Establishments
Between 2007 and 2012 the number of businesses in the Redfern Street Village increased by 14.4%, from 945 to 1,081 businesses. The largest sectoral increase occurred in the Professional and Business Services Industry, with an additional 60 business establishments compared to 2007. There were an additional 47 Creative Industries premises compared to 2007. There was an absolute increase in the number of business establishments in only nine of the nineteen sectors.
Of the 945 business located in the Village in 2007, 593 were still operating in the same location in 2012. There were a large number of new businesses in a number of industry sectors, including Creative Industries, Food and Drink, and Retail and Personal Services. Each of these four industry sectors allied their relatively high turnover with significant growth in the number of establishments. The area’s predominant industry, Creative Industries, had the largest business turnover number (48 ceasing or moving operation, with 95 commencing), whilst at the same time showing the second largest growth in absolute numbers (47 establishments).
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Table 2. Overview of City-Based Industry Sectors, Redfern Street Village, 2012City-Based Industry Sector / Businesses / % of Total Businesses / Employment / % of Total Employment / Business Floor Area / % Business Floor Area
Community / 14 / 1.3% / 835 / 4.8% / 39,006 / 4.5%
Creative Industries / 171 / 15.8% / 2,501 / 14.5% / 117,758 / 13.6%
Finance and Financial Services / 13 / 1.2% / 89 / 0.5% / 1,879 / 0.2%
Food and Drink / 155 / 14.3% / 659 / 3.8% / 20,211 / 2.3%
Government / 14 / 1.3% / 1,329 / 7.7% / 31,289 / 3.6%
Health / 40 / 3.7% / 332 / 1.9% / 15,998 / 1.8%
Higher Education and Research / 73 / 6.8% / 3,926 / 22.7% / 187,862 / 21.7%
ICT / 62 / 5.7% / 1,013 / 5.9% / 37,430 / 4.3%
Life Science (Bio-tech) / 10 / 0.9% / 57 / 0.3% / 1,962 / 0.2%
Manufacturing / 30 / 2.8% / 192 / 1.1% / 15,435 / 1.8%
Motor Vehicle / 24 / 2.2% / 126 / 0.7% / 10,021 / 1.2%
Natural Resource-Based Industries / 0 / 0.0% / 0 / 0.0% / 0 / 0.0%
Other* / 2 / 0.2% / 141 / 0.8% / 0 / 0.0%
Professional and Business Services / 127 / 11.7% / 2,048 / 11.9% / 56,648 / 6.5%
Property Development and Operation / 18 / 1.7% / 167 / 1.0% / 16,575 / 1.9%
Retail and Personal Services / 128 / 11.8% / 369 / 2.1% / 22,748 / 2.6%
Social Capital / 63 / 5.8% / 804 / 4.7% / 41,519 / 4.8%
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure / 72 / 6.7% / 873 / 5.1% / 106,285 / 12.3%
Transport and Logistics / 65 / 6.0% / 1,812 / 10.5% / 142,254 / 16.4%
Utilities** / 0 / 0.0% / 3 / 0.0% / 1,434 / 0.2%
Total / 1,081 / 100.0% / 17,276 / 100.0% / 866,315 / 100.0%
City-Based Industry Sector / 2007 / % of 2007 Businesses / 2012 / % of 2012 Businesses / Change
2007-2012 / % Change 2007-2012
Community / 13 / 1.4% / 14 / 1.3% / 1 / 7.7%
Creative Industries / 124 / 13.1% / 171 / 15.8% / 47 / 37.9%
Finance and Financial Services / 15 / 1.6% / 13 / 1.2% / -2 / -13.3%
Food and Drink / 128 / 13.5% / 155 / 14.3% / 27 / 21.1%
Government / 18 / 1.9% / 14 / 1.3% / -4 / -22.2%
Health / 35 / 3.7% / 40 / 3.7% / 5 / 14.3%
Higher Education and Research / 57 / 6.0% / 73 / 6.8% / 16 / 28.1%
ICT / 79 / 8.4% / 62 / 5.7% / -17 / -21.5%
Life Science (Bio-tech) / 14 / 1.5% / 10 / 0.9% / -4 / -28.6%
Manufacturing / 47 / 5.0% / 30 / 2.8% / -17 / -36.2%
Motor Vehicle / 24 / 2.5% / 24 / 2.2% / 0 / 0.0%
Natural Resource-Based Industries / 2 / 0.2% / 0 / 0.0% / -2 / -100.0%
Other / 4 / 0.4% / 2 / 0.2% / -2 / -50.0%
Professional and Business Services / 67 / 7.1% / 127 / 11.7% / 60 / 89.6%
Property Development and Operation / 20 / 2.1% / 18 / 1.7% / -2 / -10.0%
Retail and Personal Services / 104 / 11.0% / 128 / 11.8% / 24 / 23.1%
Social Capital / 57 / 6.0% / 63 / 5.8% / 6 / 10.5%
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure / 57 / 6.0% / 72 / 6.7% / 15 / 26.3%
Transport and Logistics / 80 / 8.5% / 65 / 6.0% / -15 / -18.8%
Utilities / 0 / 0.0% / 0 / 0.0% / 0 / NA
Total / 945 / 100.0% / 1,081 / 100.0% / 136 / 14.4%
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Table 4. Recent and Established Businesses By City-Based Industry Sectors, Redfern Street Village, 2012City-Based Industry Sector / Established
(Pre-2008) / Commenced
2008-2012 / % Established
Community / 13 / 1 / 92.9%
Creative Industries / 76 / 95 / 44.4%
Finance and Financial Services / 5 / 8 / 38.5%
Food and Drink / 74 / 81 / 47.7%
Government / 4 / 10 / 28.6%
Health / 29 / 11 / 72.5%
Higher Education and Research / 42 / 31 / 57.5%
ICT / 35 / 27 / 56.5%
Life Science (Bio-tech) / 7 / 3 / 70.0%
Manufacturing / 19 / 11 / 63.3%
Motor Vehicle / 18 / 6 / 75.0%
Natural Resource-Based Industries / 0 / 0 / NA
Other / 0 / 2 / 0.0%
Professional and Business Services / 47 / 80 / 37.0%
Property Development and Operation / 11 / 7 / 61.1%
Retail and Personal Services / 70 / 58 / 54.7%
Social Capital / 47 / 16 / 74.6%
Tourist, Cultural and Leisure / 48 / 24 / 66.7%
Transport and Logistics / 48 / 17 / 73.8%
Utilities / 0 / 0 / NA
Total / 593 / 488 / 54.9%
Figures 3a and 3b (following) show the percentage share of the top six City-Based Industry Sectors in 2007 and 2012. Creative Industries replaced Food and Drink as the largest percentage share of total businesses given its increase of 2.7% compared to the Food and Drink industry’s 0.8%. Professional and Business Services experienced the highest growth in business numbers and increased its overall share by 4.6% to 11.7%, moving up two ranks, from sixth to fourth position, by 2012. Retail and Personal Services remained stable in third position, marginally increasing its share to 11.8%. ICT and Transport and Logistics dropped out of the top six industry sectors, both declining by 2.7% and 2.5% respectively. They were replaced by Higher Education and Research and Tourist, Cultural and Leisure in 2012.